Convective air blast freezing is a process by which freezing of items like foodstuffs is facilitated by flowing very cold air over the items via mechanical force, typically in very large volumes of goods (e.g., many pallets) and airflow (e.g., thousands of cubic feet per minute (CFM)). Blast freezing is typically used on perishable foods (e.g., fruits and meats) geographically near their point of initial food processing. Such goods may then be stored for a short or long period in frozen warehouse, and then shipped to a point close to their use (e.g., to a grocery store or a warehouse operated by a particular grocer).
Such food decays largely because it includes water, which when not frozen, is a hospitable environment for bacteria and other pathogens. Blast freezing can prevent this process and thus is employed broadly in the food distribution industry. Blast freezing can be a large and expensive consumer of electricity, natural gas, or other mechanisms needed to operate chillers, fans, and other equipment required to perform such large-scale cooling.